I met the guy from Docteur Sax at the first Salon de la Bibliophilie Contemporaine in Montreal. (Doctor Sax is the title of a Jack Kerouac book.) Although there were $5000 books on display that required wearing gloves to read them, at his table was a series of small poetry chapbooks. He had come in from Québec City and wanted to trade for some English poetry. Since I had made no sales all day I obliged and picked up this nicely produced small book featuring a pair of overalls on the cover. The poems are only a few lines long which is perfect for my limited French. It was good practice deciphering the generally imagistic and elegant sentences, often just one per page. There are red line drawings scattered throughout the book which, although they seem childlike, actually give the book an extra touch of class. For those interested in what’s going in the Québécois poetry scene, Docteur Sax looks like a great place to start. (Andy Brown)
poetry chapbook, 30 pages, $5, French, Anick Arsenault, Docteur Sax, 285 rue la Tourelle, app. 2, Quebec, G1R 1C7